Salmonella contamination was found in nearly 12% of poultry farms tested in the UK, one of the best in Europe.

Vets checked more than 400 premises across the country as part of a Europe-wide study.

After testing dust, bird faeces and other material they found salmonella contamination in 11.9% of farms which housed laying hens. This makes UK's infection rate the third lowest of all the EU member states, according to Defra.

The European Food Safety Authority report shows that salmonella was found on 79.5% of the 44 holdings tested in Portugal. In Poland the infection was in 77.2% of the premises tested while Spain had the third highest at 73.2% of 481 premises tested.